inorganic- when a mineral cannot rise from the materials that were once part of a living thing crystal- when the repeating pattern of a mineral's particles forms a solid element- a substance made of only one kind of atom compound- when two or more elements are combined Mohs hardness scale- it ranks ten minerals from softest to hardest streak- the color of the mineral's powder luster- a term used to describe how a certain mineral reflects light from its surface cleavage- a mineral that splits easily along flat surfaces has this property fracture- describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an odd way fluorescence- minerals that glow under ultra violet light have this property
Outline
What is a Mineral?
any mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition
naturally occurring
substances found in Earth's crust that are manufactured by people, are not considered minerals
inorganic
a mineral must also be inorganic
solid
minerals are always solid
crystal structure
particles in a mineral line up in a pattern that keeps going on and on
this process forms crystals
definite crystal composition
all minerals have a definite chemical composition
almost all minerals on Earth are compound
almost all pure elements on Earth are metals
Identifying Minerals
Each mineral has their own specific properties that can be used, if needed, to identify it
hardness
Mohs Hardness Scale
Friedrich Mohs invented it
it can identify a mineral's hardness
a mineral can scratch any other mineral that is softer than itself
color
minerals can occur in a variety of colors
streak
a streak of a mineral is the color of its powder
a mineral's streak can be different from its appearance color
luster
luster is the term used to describe how a certain mineral reflects light from its surface
density
you can measure and compare minerals by comparing their density
crystal systems
crystals that grow in an open space usually grow almost perfectly
crystals that don't grow in an open space are often incompletely formed
cleavage and fracture
a mineral that splits easily along flat surfaces has the property named cleavage
a fracture describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way
special properties
some minerals glow under ultraviolet light, so they have a property called fluorescence
Table of Contents
4.1 Properties of Minerals
Vocabulary
inorganic- when a mineral cannot rise from the materials that were once part of a living thingcrystal- when the repeating pattern of a mineral's particles forms a solid
element- a substance made of only one kind of atom
compound- when two or more elements are combined
Mohs hardness scale- it ranks ten minerals from softest to hardest
streak- the color of the mineral's powder
luster- a term used to describe how a certain mineral reflects light from its surface
cleavage- a mineral that splits easily along flat surfaces has this property
fracture- describes how a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an odd way
fluorescence- minerals that glow under ultra violet light have this property
Outline
What is a Mineral?
Identifying Minerals